title: Primary red ear syndrome associated with cochleo-vestibular symptomatology: a paediatric case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Red ear syndrome (RES), first described by Lance in 1996 in an adult series, may be primary or associated with headache syndromes, upper cervical disorders or vascular anomalies. Clinically the disease is characterised by recurrent episodes of reddening and burning pain in the auricle, usually elicited by different triggers. The prevalence of RES in the paediatric age group remains poorly understood. Several therapeutic approaches have been tried with heterogeneous clinical response.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a paediatric patient suffering from primary RES associated with debilitating cochleo-vestibular symptomatology causing severe discomfort. Three years after the disease onset, the patient also developed headache, with clinical features of migraine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The temporal and spatial association could suggest shared pathogenetic features between neurological (cochleo-vestibular) and vascular (red and burning ear) symptomatology, likely related to trigeminal autonomic reflex activation, although further studies are required for full comprehension of RES pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Rheumatology, G Gaslini Institute, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Picco
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leoni
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doglio
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martini
mesh_terms: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D004890:Erythema / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D002220:Carbamazepine
keywords: Red ear syndrome; carbamazepine; hearing loss; migraine; trigeminal autonomic reflex